Although I felt incredibly old and embarrassed when I did so, earlier this year I booked tickets to see the Steve Miller Bank at The Albert Hall. Whilst not quite the oldest rock band in the world (For example, the Rolling Stones were formed in 1962) I thought I’d go along as many of their songs have stood the test of time and remain firmly embedded in my memory as the backing track to my youth.
Now The Albert Hall – for all its glories – is hardly the place for a rock event but bearing in mind the age of both the performers and the vast majority of the audience it was a fitting venue. The average age of the folk there was the other side of 40 although there was a good contingent of suited after-office fellows who looked considerably younger.
The stage was covered initially with a huge curtain on which was emblazoned a Space Cowboy – covered in sheriff stars. A young man did some nice acoustic work for 20 minutes before that curtain came down and the Steve Miller Band came on stage. The set showed two swirls of guitars heading off into the universe – and on some numbers these were illuminated with hundreds of tiny stars.
This was an event for those who admire great guitar work – and they changed instruments at the start of every single number. All the popular numbers were played – Dance, Dance, Dance, Rock n’me, Jungle Love and Abracadabra. I was surprised at how many of the songs I recognised (and knew the words to!) even though it is decades since I listened to any of the albums.
The sad element of the evening was how many songs were dedicated to musicians (including Norton Buffalo who died from lung cancer last year) that have since passed away. And the dedication of Living in the USA to all the military folk out in war zones. On the upside, there was an incredibly energetic soul singer – Sonny Charles – who joined the band a couple of years ago who shimmied and shaked to just about every number. Awesome for a man of 70!
My personal favourites – Serenade and Fly like an eagle – were towards the end. I was ecstatic. And just about everyone in the audience – despite looking like they were there to see an opera – was up and dancing about in the aisles. It was an unexpectedly brilliant evening.
